Growing Gardens With You
What we do best
Neil Wilkinson Garden Design
We are a small personable team dedicated to maintaining gardens with excellent horticultural standards. We focus on maintaining the borders, planting and overall planning and improvement of the garden to get the best results all year round. We ensure that gardens are pruned correctly at the right time of year, annual gardening tasks are carried out and the garden evolves to be better every year.
We have close links to landscapers and mowing contractors so though small, we are able to work together with others to plan and maintain larger gardens.
Design and planting is especially interesting to us as we believe it makes a real difference to how clients use and enjoy their gardens during the seasons. We can design complete gardens, small sections of garden, planting or just altering a border shape or adding trees can make a great improvement.
We are also members of the ‘The Gardeners Guild’ and are
a Licensed Waste Carrier with the ‘Environment Agency’
We have Public Liability - £2,000,000 and Employers Liability - £5,000,000
We are licensed to carry out Chemical Spraying - NPTC Safe Use of Pesticides PA1,PA6A
Profile - Neil Wilkinson
Works in both the Design and Maintenance parts of the business, managing the regular garden maintenance and designing new gardens.
Enjoys getting to know clients and tailoring the gardens to suit them.
A real passion for plants and evolving gardens to be better.
Experience
- In 2006 set up and ran ‘Neil Wilkinson Gardens,’ continuing to expand and develop the business.
- 5 years at Coughton Court ,Warwickshire
Training
- Diploma from Pickard School of Garden Design.
- 3 Year BTEC National Diploma in Horticulture, Specialising in Landscape and Design
Including one year working a Large Landscape Firm in Hampshire.
Garden Design
We like to start with a conversation, get to know you, understand what is required from your space and what you are looking to achieve.
Working with the client, the aim is to create a garden that is stylish, considers the area surrounding it and is a practical, usable space to enjoy.
Due to the unique nature of each garden design, we will cost your requirements on an individual basis.
The Process
The design process is different for each project dependant on size and complexity, taking many routes, below is a typical path with more detailed information on each stage.
Project Monitoring and Tender Documentation
Project Monitoring will ensure that the garden is constructed correctly by
making various routine visits throughout the construction process.
Tender Documentation
This can involve the following:
- Sourcing suitable contractors.
- Specification document which provide sufficient descriptive information about the project, including quality of materials and workmanship. This information together with the completed drawings provides the necessary documents for the contractor to realistically price for the work and latterly for the build to a high standard.
- Checking the contractors invoices and valuations.
- General correspondence between the contractor and the client.
- Raises discussion on site tidiness and the position of site storage area to keep inconvenience to minimum.
- Protects client from added extras that were missed out from the costs because the scope of works were not clear.
Garden Lighting, Irrigation and Drainage
Lighting can change the mood and feel of a garden and can show up key features such as statues or trees. We can advise and design lighting to make the most of the spaces and show plants and areas to their best.
We work with electricians and lighting suppliers to keep up to date with lighting available.
Watering your garden in the first year is essential for plants to establish but can be slow and tedious, temporary or permanent systems can be installed, we work with irrigation engineers to ensure you get the right system for you.
Planting
With our passion for plants, the team will plant your design to an excellent standard with best horticultural practice.
Setting Out Drawing
These drawings are important for the construction phase of the project as they ensure that the garden is accurately marked out to the design. Contractors used to construct the garden find the drawings very useful in the early stages of getting the design on the site, the plans show the dimensions and where to take the measurements from on the site.
Construction Drawing
These drawing are occasionally required for certain constructed design element in the garden where a contractor will need more information to build accurately. e.g. pergolas, unusual steps/walls or water features.
Detailed Design - This consists of full survey/site analysis of the garden
and detailed design with structural planting, these two come as a package.
Survey and Site Analysis - This will include position of services, windows, doors, boundaries and levels (if required). The analysis is a detailed look at the garden and surrounding area including features which exist and any problems or issues to be resolved, e.g. the condition of boundaries.
A soil sample will be taken which will show the Ph and Soil Type. I will take information on your needs and wants for the garden, likes and dislikes and general ideas for the space.
Detailed Design and Structural Planting - This will be a detailed hand drawn plan of your new garden, showing all of the features and planting areas in the space. The detailed design includes a materials list and structural planting but not decorative planting.
Structural Planting - Refers to specimen trees and large shrubs, and hedges.
Decorative Planting - Refers to herbaceous perennial and shrub planting where the detail is shown in the planting plans.
In addition to the above on complex design work, the following may be required to make the design more clear and accurate.
Elevation - Useful in showing constructed items or heights in the garden such as pergolas.
Cross Sectional Elevation - Useful in showing changes in level.
Planting Design and Planting Plans - The Planting Design and Planting Plans come as a package.
Planting Design - The spaces for planting in the garden are designed to the client brief discussed and ensures that colour, shape, texture, function, soil type and site aspect are considered.
Planting Plans - Detailed plans showing the exact layout and names of all the plants, drawn to scale. This includes a plant schedule giving quantities and the size of all plants.
Consultation
After an initial conversation, a consultation is arranged to meet and discuss in detail what is required from your garden and how you want it to work for you. This is an opportunity for suggestions and ideas for the garden followed by a report on specific design issues that have arisen, design brief and any further design fee proposals.
The consultation is approximately one hour for which a fee is charged - £50 within a 20 mile radius of B90.
Hedge Cutting
Staking Borders using traditional hazel and birch weaving methods
Topiary - Box, Yew, Conifers
Border Renovation
Bulb Planting including suggestions
Seasonal Container Planting
Rose Pruning including training of climbers and ramblers.
Wiring Walls to train climbers
Care Packages can be arranged to suit, offered on a flexible basis, choose from:
Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly, Six Weekly, Every Two Months, Quarterly, Annually.
Hourly Rates are dependent on the following:
• garden size;
• complexity of work involved;
• distance to travel to property;
• how regularly visits are made;
• how long is required for each visit
We tend to make a visit to meet you, see your garden and discuss requirements. Then we will provide a written proposal outlining what will be involved and clear costings.
Or
Fixed price estimates can be made for one off projects or jobs.
We can take away garden rubbish -
£95.00 per trailer load*
(Trailer size is 2.30mtrs x 1.10mtrs x 0.60mtrs and holds 4-5 one cubic metre bags of garden rubbish or approx 750-1000kg in weight)
*Cost of trailer load in association with regular maintenance or fixed price garden job. We do not offer garden clearance.
Tree Planting
All planting work
Fruit Tree Pruning
Fruit Training Methods - cordon, espalier, step over, fan
Soft Fruit Pruning
Shrub Pruning
Formative Pruning
Topiary
Consultation
This service has proved useful for many people as some garden will only require pointing in the right direction with help on planting improvement and advice on where to start.
We offer consultancy packages to suit individual needs, these can include the following:
• Soil Tests
• Planting Suggestions
• Basic changes to make e.g. Areas to focus on, planting to remove
Send us an e-mail outlining your basic requirements and a picture of
your garden and we can suggest if either our consultancy package or design service would suit your needs.
Garden Care
We offer professional garden care, focusing on skilled horticultural practices ensuring planting is correctly pruned to suit the situation.
We are proud of the gardens we care for and continue to improve and develop them through the seasons and years, together with their owners. Our regular customers can provide recommendations.
We are experienced in the following -
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Pool Side
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The
Cottage
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Small but Long
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Entertaining
The
Planting
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Ongoing Work
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Pool Side Garden
This Georgian property required design work around a proposed swimming pool and glazed link corridor into the adjoining coach house and extension.
The client wanted a place to relax, entertain, spend time as a family and be able to access the area from the surrounding buildings and other parts of the garden.
It was decided to remove an old wall that separated the pool area from the glazed link and create a formal courtyard. Formal box hedging and standard Portuguese laurel were planted which framed a ‘David Harber’ sculpture water feature and the open view beyond.
Oak frames were built to add height to a large space, give a sense of enclosure and reflect the oak used in the glazed link.
Planting is predominantly informal with simple, large areas of ornamental grasses giving all year round structure. Five ornamental crab apple trees are under planted with drifts of herbaceous planting.
The area is given structure and unity using large box balls and Chusan Palm trees to add height and a tropical feel.
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The
Cottage
The clients are keen gardeners and wanted to make the best of the surrounding views, have areas to sit and borders to garden.
The site was an awkward shape on a corner with beautiful countryside views, though overlooked from the roadside.
Small garden trees were planted to give height, interest and privacy, also positioned to frame the views.
Different levels, pathways and seating areas were created curving around the property adding structure and interest.
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Small
but Long
The clients needed more space in the house and planned to build a garden room/office, help was needed to position the building and make it part of the garden.
A section of garden nearest to the house was used for the patio and planting areas and designed to form a courtyard feel, making the building part of the outside space.
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Entertaining Garden
This new build, single storey property has great views of the countryside and the garden was a blank canvas.
The client wanted a large paved area to entertain, a water feature, low maintenance planting, places for statues/sculptures and have good wheel chair access to and around the garden.
The site sloped down to the surrounding field so the garden was brought level using gabions as a retaining wall. Trees were planted, to add height, filter the wind, add interest and frame the views. A modern, smooth paving was used throughout and a three tiered water feature constructed as a focal point. Planting was formed of a good range of shrubs with interest for all seasons and drifts of herbaceous plants for flowers. Rectangular box sections were planted to frame focal points and add evergreen structure.
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The
Planting
A selection of planting work we have undertaken including rootballed yew hedging, containerised trees and large pleached Photinia trees.
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Keeping
Gardens
Pristine
A selection of some of the regular gardens we look after.
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Gallery
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